These are some interesting pictures (so I made up bland names).
(1)dead man vs. (9)big baby | "Dead People Around a Rock Hole"
The topic favors storytelling, which neither quite excels at but dead man is more experienced with. big baby, though, has been on his game with arguably the best verses of the first two rounds. I think he can come up with something dark and demented. But dead man loves writing to grim topics. I could see him turning this into a dissertation on religion. Hopefully he finds himself inspired again.
Prediction: big baby 52-48
(21)oXus vs. (R)Nigma | "Strange Stuctures in the Desert"
The dark horse matchup features two interesting writers. Nigma has a fantastic imagination and should be able to run with this topic. oXus will have to step out of his comfort zone, but his writing is more polished and interesting. I think there are quite a few good ways to approach this picture, and I am guessing Nigma will go large-scale storytelling while oXus might develop what these structures are and why they reflect on humanity.
Prediction: Nigma 54-46
(2)Pent uP vs. (7)Lars | "Underwater City Also Has Whales"
I don't know what to think of this topic, which seems to my eyes to be by far the hardest to write for. Pent uP has the better style to approach something fantastical like this, but Baron Mynd is a pro's pro. I think Pent uP will spend more time developing his concept and write something enormous and showy, while Baron Mynd will shoot straight and crisp with a more minimalist bent on underwater living or something like that. The former approach works better here.
Prediction: Pent uP 53-47
(3)Vulgar vs. (R)oats | "Man Looks at City from Cliff"
This is the best, boldest topic of the round. It suits Vulgar particularly well. My guess is he will go with a bold return to his more abstract bent and give us a fundamental deconstruction on city life. oats will counter with the story of the man. This battle is going to come down to which writer goes all-in on his approach, and it's my clear-cut battle of the week.
Prediction: oats 51-49
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